Storage domains that can include support for a plurality of host computers are often stored in a single storage array. The storage array provides redundancy to the host computer domains, by a plurality of magnetic disk devices in a system, thereby increasing reliability and providing a necessary storage domain as a logical volume to the plurality of host computers. One of the merits of using this storage array is availability of the logical volume.
When one of the plurality of host computers has used up a logical volume provided by the storage array, a system administrator can allocate free space within the storage array as an addition to the logical volume in use, thereby expanding the storage domain. The additional volume expansion can correspond to data volume increasing over time in order to expand the operation time of an application using the data volume.
The intervention of the system administrator can be managed in a small data center environment. With the advent of regional data sharing and multi-site data domains, it can be difficult for the system administrator to keep the plurality of host computers from consuming their allocated logical volumes. Moreover, in order to enhance the utilization of a storage array, it can be necessary to provide logical volumes to a plurality of users in a single storage device without wasting capacity.
Thus, a need still remains for a storage system with load balancing mechanism to improve performance and accessibility of user data. In view of the ever-increasing commercial competitive pressures, along with growing consumer expectations and the diminishing opportunities for meaningful product differentiation in the marketplace, it is increasingly critical that answers be found to these problems. Additionally, the need to reduce costs, improve efficiencies and performance, and meet competitive pressures adds an even greater urgency to the critical necessity for finding answers to these problems.
Solutions to these problems have been long sought but prior developments have not taught or suggested any solutions and, thus, solutions to these problems have long eluded those skilled in the art.